I service the budding, little Mozartians from preschool age to 6th grade at two schools. As their music teacher, I'm always figuring out ways to lead them through "the mystery of music class” with joy full of surprises. Our students become fluent in Singlish as they enter the wondrous land of Sing-a-Lore each day. They come away dancing, singing, and moving to music comprehending the phrasing, structure, and timing behind it. They explore the textures of sound while learning the symbols, style, and art behind it. Their beat work causes their minds to expand, and their focus to increase while feeling its elements. They learn to incorporate all kinds of subjects from literature, spelling, math, history, and science while enjoying the beauty of the arts surrounding them.
My Project
Story books come to life with wonderful illustrations in the background projected digitally through an overhead computerized set-up combined with creative music making! Temple wood blocks enhance the egg popping, for instance, in, "Are You My Mother?" Bass xylophones provide the perfect Papa Bear voice for "Goldilocks and the Three Bears." Of course, "The Day the Crayons Quit" and "King Bidgood in the Bathtub" need the two instruments for song and chorus that go along with emphasizing important words and expanding emotion. And what would the rainforest be in, "The Great Kapok Tree," without the chopping down of the tree at the end or the boom of impending intruders the temple blocks and bass xylophone can produce?
Digital storytelling will be ever the more compelling with the added sound effects of the temple woodblocks and bass xylophones!
Timing and dramatics will be developed as the students word smith and rhyme key points into songs and choruses. Mixing and arranging will be a fun adventure as they experiment with sound possibilities, discovering how much is too much or what more they might add to make just the right combination with other instruments. They will then record their ideas and share them with other classes making their creations last beyond just a one-time performance. They can influence others through their innovative story making, heightening social justice issues as a movie or play might do through sound enhancement and enlarged dramatics while showing pictures onscreen!
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Coleman and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
